The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a system and a method for calibrating and/or visualizing a multi image display and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a system and a method for calibrating and/or visualizing a multi image display which are based on image separating masks.
In order to meet market demands, multi image displays must conform to the to high quality standards imposed on 2D displays. Users of such spatial displays consider high resolution, robustness, reliability, thickness, low costs, and support of practically all common video formats, including camera and stereo-camera, are essential.
One of the methods for creating a multi image display is achieved by spatial or temporal interdigitation of images and/or partial images. As regards to spatial displays with spatial interdigitation, which may be referred to as multi-view displays, multiple adjoining pixels or their color sub-pixels are grouped to form pixel clusters with each pixel containing a 3D scene from a different perspective, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,281 Issued on Apr. 2, 2002. An image separating mask, such as a barrier, a lenticular lenses array or other optical element, projects the pixel contents of each pixel cluster into space in a fan-shaped manner. Each fan contains the image content of the 3D scene from a certain perspective. If the two eyes of an observer are located in neighboring fans, the observer perceives the desired stereoscopic representation. However, this arrangement suffers from a low resolution. The overall resolution is not determined by the resolution of the image matrix, but by the coarser pixel cluster resolution. An image with eight perspectives will reduce the resolution to ⅛, for example.
Another method for creating a multi image display is related to the process of manufacturing elements that incorporate image structures that provide a visual motion to portions of the image as the element is tilted, and in particular to systems for generating the motion image elements, see For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,544 issued on Mar. 6, 2001.
As regards to multi image spatial displays with temporal interdigitation, for example see Neil A. Dodgson et at.: A 50″ time-multiplexed autostereoscopic display, ProcSPIE 3957, “Stereoscopic Displays & Applications XI”, light sources are arranged next to each other are projected into the image separating mask that allows the modulation of the projected light. An observer can view the modulated projected light, seeing a different perspective with each eye. Because the projected light represents a scene, which is seen from different perspectives, the observer perceives a stereo image. The same also applies to several observers.